Coupling for wagons.



No. 704,858. Paiented my l5, 1902.

w. s. cmwrmfw.y CUPLING FUR WAGGNS.

(Application filed Apr. 19, 1902.)

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VVIYLLIAM S. CHAPMAN, OF KIPPEN, IDAHO, ASSIGNOR OF `ONE-HALF TO AN- DREW J. EROKSON AND ALBERT H. PETERSON, OFKIPPEN, IDAHO.

coUPLiNG FOR wAeoNs.

srncrxcATIoN forming partei Letters'ratent No. 704,858, dated July 15, 1902.

Application tied lapin-19, 1902.

To all whom, t 'may con/cern:

j Be it known that I, WILLIAM S.` CHAPMAN, i a citizen of the United States, .residing at Kip! pen, in the county of Nez Perces and State of Idaho, have made certain new and useful Improvements inouplings for Wagons, of which the following is a specification.

My invention isan improvement in that class of couplingsbetween the reach and the rear hounds of a Wagon which permit adjustment of thehounds and rear axle on Jthe reach, the same being effected by means of a clamp in place of the usual coupling effected by means of a pin passingthrough the reach, whereby the latter is weakened.

The details of construction, arrangement, and operation of parts are as hereinafter described, reference being had 4to the accompanying drawings, in which-tY Figure 1 is a plan view of the portion of a wagon coupling or running-gear of which my invention'forms a part. Fig. 2 is an enlarged crosssection on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an enlarged horizontalfsection of the front portion of the hounds, the covering-plate being alone removed. Fig. et is a perspective view of one of the gripping-jaws by which the rear hounds areisecnred to the 'reach or coupling-pole.

A indicates the reach orcoupling-pole, B the rear bolster of the rear axle, and G the hounds. The latter are secured to the reach" A by means of gripping-jaws D D and a screw-clamp F, which is'constructed ashoreinafter described. The said jaws D D' are provided with serrated faces and are arranged diametrically opposite con opposite sides of the reach A, as shown in Figs. 1 and'. The frame F consists of twoparallel "barsf and two shorter parallel heads ff. One of the jaws D is rigidly secured to aY rod or shaft E', (see Fig. 2,) which is shouldered and adapted to rotate in the adjacent head f of the frame F. The other jaw D is secured upon the head of a screw-shaft E, which is adapted to rotate therein. The said shaft E is provided with a collar e, adjacent to the jaw D, and also with a screw-thread c' at a point where it passes through the head f which is similarly screwthreaded. A hand wrench or lever Gr is applied to the squared end e2 of the screw-shaft stituting heads.

Serial No.71031693. (No molleh) v`and extends-'laterally therefrom for use in rotating the shaft. This wrench or handle G may be a permanent attachment of the shaft.

It is apparent that if the latter be rotated the block D, to which it is attached, will be moved toward or from the adjacent head f of the clamping-frame, and that thereby the reach A will be either clamped between the two jaws D D or released,la`s the case may be. In other words, if the screw-shaft E be rotated in one direction the jaws D D will be forced toward each other and the reach A will necessarily be clamped between them. lf, on the other-hand, the screw-shaft be rotated-in the opposite direction, the jaws D D will be moved apart and the reach A released. The shafts E and E' pass through V'the ends of the hounds C, as shown in Fig. 2, and are held rigidlyin due position relative to each other and the reachA bymeans of a metal casing H. This is preferably constructed of cast-iron and so formed as to embrace the heads or ends of the hounds C, asV shown. The casing may, however, be constructed of thick sheet metal bent into the required form. The casing H may be secured to the hounds by means of rivets orbolts* passingvertically through the same. "As shown in Fig. 4, the jaws D D are provided with extensions d, con- These heads serve as guides in the movement ofthe jaws toward and from each other, since they project `,through and work in guide-slots in the casing Irl-,fas will be understood by reference to Figs. l and 2. A jam-nut I, having an extended portion that serves as a handle, is applied to A'the screwshaft E, adjacent to' the ,outer side of the frame-head f By this device-.the screw E may be locked in any adjustment, so that the jaws D D'"'w'ill be held 'I engaged vwith the reach A without danger'of becoming loosened by the jar incidenttothe usel of the vehicle.

It will be seenthatmyinvention possesses an important superiority overthe ordinary method of attaching the rear hounds to the reach or coupling-pole, since the latter is not weakened by one or more holes bored through the same for the purpose of receiving a fastoning-pin. In other words, the couplingpole is left intact and is as `strong at a point where the hounds are secured to it as at any IOO other. Further, the adjustment is such that the rear axle may be adjusted toward or from the front axle'with greater ease than by the usual arrangement.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In a Wagon-coupling, the combination, with the rear hounds and the reach, of independently-movable gripping-jaws arranged on opposite sides of the reach and provided with extended lugs or heads at the opposite ends, a rigid metal easing applied to the ends of the hounds and extending over the reach and provided on the upper and under sides with guideways for reception of the said heads of the jaws, whereby the latter are adapted to slide laterally in the casing, aframe which surrounds the casing transversely, and the screw-clamp connected with the jaws and frame and adapted for adjusting the jaws relative to the reach, as shown and described.

WILLIAM S. CHAPMAN. Witnesses: l

ANDREW J. ERICKSON, ALBERT H. PETERSON. 

